the world

"You don't have to worry about Hyakkimaru, he will come back sooner or later." Taki Wakaba said.

"Jiuyi treats Hyakkimaru well, but I can't help worrying about him even though he's not by your side." Mrs. Bai stroked her chest lightly, "Today I saw a woman wearing light pink sleeves beside Shanmurowu, who looks like Very strange. I found out that the woman was not Shanshiwu's concubine, but his retainer, and I was a little concerned about her. Being able to be Shanshiwu's retainer and being brought to Kyoto by Shanshiwu, that woman must have something extraordinary. She looks indifferent and arrogant, and seems inaccessible."

"You mean the woman named Abi?" Taki Ruoye knew that the person Mrs. Bai was referring to was Adi who used the name "Abi".

"Exactly."

"You don't have to be wary of her, she's one of us."

"She was actually the person you placed in Jiuyi. It seems that you have already planned for Jiuyi." Mrs. Bai covered her mouth in surprise.

"I didn't expect Shanshiwu to attach so much importance to her, and even bring her here on such occasions. To be honest, I was a little surprised when I saw her today, and she seems quite proud of it."

"It's a good thing anyway."

After Mrs. Bai and Hu Ji left, Liu Yu and the others returned to the guest room, and before they could sit down, they heard the sound of wooden boards being lifted above their heads.

They immediately put their hands on the handle of the knife, only Taki Ruoye who was sitting on the ground remained motionless.

"Long time no see, everyone—"

A Di lifted the wooden plank, turned over and jumped down from the top of the beam.

Taki Wakaba nodded to her, and she sat down immediately, picked up the half-drinked tea that Mrs. Bai had drunk, and took a sip, "As expected, the tea for daimyo tastes better."

"It seems that you are doing well in Jiuyi, and Shanshiwu is very fond of you." Liu Yu raised his eyebrows.

"I took the initiative to fight for that, and it wasn't just to meet you. Even a spider would be very tired to crawl on the beams in such a sneaky way!" Worrying about food and clothing, but I still want to go back to Yishui early, it’s really boring to be in Jiuyi.”

"I think Shanshi Wu's complexion is not very good, have you absorbed his yang energy?" asked Hasebe Yakiri.

"I just smoked a little bit." Adi gestured with his fingers, "The place where I live in Jiuyi is full of big men, so I can smoke a little bit for each of them. But I don't like Shanshi Wu, so I smoked a little more. .”

"I heard about Yishui's record against Hojo, it's really majestic," Adi said, "You are all famous people in the world now, it feels really good."

"Being famous all over the world... really doesn't suit me." Dadian Tai Guangshi showed an unspeakable expression, "Adi, do you want to be famous all over the world?"

"I'm not interested in that kind of thing." Adi embraced her hands, "It's just a pity that I couldn't see it with my own eyes. Human life is very short."

"Don't make it sound like I'm going to die soon." Only Liu Yu was a real human being present, and his expression distorted when he heard Adi's words.

"There's nothing new happening in Jiuyi recently. Anyway, it's far away from Kyoto, and it's still an alliance with Kaga. Hojo can't hit him now, so he just stays here." Adi said that he didn't have any useful information to say.

"How is Ah Bi recently?" Taki Ruoye asked.

"In the past few years, Ah Bi's swordsmanship has improved rapidly, but even a fool can improve if he is manipulated by Sizhi to use his sword every day. Shan Shiwu is getting better and better against Ah Bi. The son is even better."

"Is it so exaggerated?" Hasebe couldn't believe it.

"Really, if you see the relationship between the two of them, you can call them a loving father and a filial son. When Wu Shanshi taught his son, he also said that none of them could compare to Baikimaru. Speaking of this, Abi It’s also quite powerful, at least I can’t get along with Shanshiwu like that.” Adi finished his tea in one breath, “Okay, I have to go back, remember to call Jiuyi early. I’m waiting for your arrival, Tianzhi Lady."

Adi jumped onto the beam and put the planks back in place. She crawled on the beam without making a sound.

Taki Wakaba and his team returned to Isui after a routine visit to Ashikaga Yoshio. It usually snows at this time in previous years, and this year was no exception. As soon as they arrived in Isui, snowflakes fell.

Hasebe looked at Luoxue and remembered his life in Honmaru. He sighed, "It would be great if I could soak in the hot spring at this time."

"Ah, do you mean that time?" Hearing what Kokiri Hasebe said, Ohnori Tamitsuji suddenly remembered, "When we went to a hot spring hotel together, it cost the master a lot of money."

"After all, I let everyone in Honmaru go in one breath. I was shocked at the time."

"I remember the master is quite rich, although I don't know how the master earns money in this world." Onen Tai Mitsuyo thought of the long-lost master, "It's been four years, and I don't know how everyone in Honmaru is. "

"It's still the same as before, but it's only been four years."

Four years is not a long time for these sword-paying gods.

"But it's different for us." Ohnori Tai Mitsuyo glanced at Yakiri Hasebe, "If the master shows up tomorrow and wants to take us away, will you go?"

"That's our master, won't you go? There's no need to ask this kind of question."

"I know. It's just... If it's really like that, I will feel very unwilling..." Dadian Taiguang said, "I don't want to go back to the warehouse anymore. If I shrink back, the woman of heaven Your lord will be very troubled, right? Both me as a retainer and me as a sword can be used uniquely for her. I am the master's sword, this will not change, but I will leave before the lady of heavenly knowledge completes the hegemony. It just felt worse than being left behind."

"...Don't think about things that didn't happen. We stayed here because of the Lord's order. We just need to obey the Lord's order."

"Once you encounter something that you can't figure out, you will become dishonest. This point is still the same as before." Hearing Yakiri Hasebe's straight-forward answer, Odenori Tai Mitsuyo didn't want to continue talking about this with him That's the topic, he's not the type who is good at instructing others, let alone the serious type like Yakiri Hasebe who likes to dig into horns.

"...I'm not being honest."

The two walking side by side met Taki Wakaba who was coming from the corner. Taki Wakaba seemed to have something to say to them, she approached, "Let's go to the hot spring together."

Odenori Tai Mitsuyo saw that Hasebe's body tensed visibly with the naked eye, and the coincidence of this conversation was as if Taki Wakaba had heard their conversation.

"What's wrong?" Taki Wakaba saw Hasebe, who looked tense.

"It's okay, he might be too happy." Dadian Tai Mitsuyo didn't think that Taki Wakaba would be eavesdropping, so he responded calmly.When Taki Ruoye approached, he realized that her face was slightly red, as if she had just returned from a hot spring.

After the expansion of Yishui's territory, Taki Wakaba and the others temporarily moved their headquarters to the mountain city in the east, leaving Shouhai there to rule.Hasebe and Mitsuyo Ohnori are also on the go all the year round, rarely staying in the mountain city.

"The hot spring that the workers found on the mountain has been built now, and you can rest in the next house after soaking." Taki Wakaba said briefly, "Isn't it delicious to soak in the hot spring in the snow?"

"We thought of hot springs just now, but we didn't expect Lady Tianzhi to think the same as us."

"We're going to start a war with Shan Ming in a while, you guys should take a good rest these days."

When Yashi Hasebe and Odenori Tamitsu went to get a change of clothes, Dororo ran up to them, "My lady of heavenly knowledge said that you are going to the hot springs, so let me take you there!"

"Did you guys just come back?" Odenata Mitsuyo asked, looking at Dororo's flushed face.

"That's right, it was a women's bath just now, it should be a men's bath now." Dororo said, "But Mio-san is a little shy, and she has to be surrounded by a screen to enter the water. I just took off my clothes and plunged into it , startled her."

"Is Lady Tianzhi with you too?" Yakiri Hasebe asked.

"That's right. As expected of a lady of heavenly knowledge, she looks so elegant even in the hot springs."

Dororo's words made it hard for Oden Tai Mitsuyo not to start imagining how to run elegantly in a hot spring?

Dororo showed a gossip look, "Do you want to know the figure of Lady Tianzhi—"

"It's really disrespectful." Yaki Hasebe unceremoniously hammered Dororo on the head.

Just as Dororo said, this is a veritable men's bath. Except for Dororo, all the people who soak in the hot springs in the mountains are familiar faces.

"I just said that your body is stronger than it looks!" Dororo ran to Lian Haidu's back and thumped his strong muscles.

"...Cheki Hasebe, can you take her away?" Lian Haidu raised his eyebrows.

"Go to the next room and stay and rest." Yaki Hasebe grabbed Dororo who was running around.

"Brother!" Dororo hurriedly looked at Hyakkimaru soaking in the hot spring.

"..." Hyakkimaru just watched Dororo being dragged away in silence.

"Children are really full of energy." Pipa Wan laughed, "Would you like a drink?"

Biwamaru gently pushed the tray floating on the water to Hyakkimaru, and Hyakkimaru pressed the tray floating towards him, and picked up the wine glass on it.

Before the snowflakes fell on the wine, they were melted away by the steaming heat of the hot spring.

Hyakkimaru looked at it for a while, drank the sake in the shallow glass, and then passed the tray aside.

"Indeed, soaking in the hot spring while watching the falling snow has a special taste." Hasebe leaned his arms on the piled rocks and looked up at the night sky.